RalphiusMaximus

So Howe has decided he's a free agent and wants to go to the Pies. We've responded and said that this deal is entirely separate to any deal to get Kennedy. That's a great start. Now we just need to stand up and tell them that it's their first pick or nothing. Looking at what has been paid (and offered) for other players, this isn't too far off the mark. Redden went for a first rounder. The Hawks are offering two first round picks for Carlisle. Melksham for an early second round pick. Bennell a first rounder and a swap of late picks. Sinclair swapped for a first round player. Looking at that form, Howe is certainly worth a first round pick as well. All we need to do is hold our nerve and make them pay it. Then we turn around and offer two first round picks for Treloar

Collingwood are very obviously angling for Howe-Kennedy. If they go that direction we should be hitting them up for Kennedy + a first round pick for Howe + third or thereabouts. The fact is that Howe is worth a hell of a lot more than Kennedy so we might as well aim high with him. It gives us a lot of room to work and give some concessions and still get good value.

I agree entirely with your point, but I worry about your math skills. 4768 - 3584 = 1184 3701 - 4186 = -485 Thus WC have a comparative advantage of 1669 free kicks over us over your ten year sample.

His kicking certainly seems like it would fit in well at Melbourne. I saw one pass into the 50 that fell well short and another that was over the head of the leading player. Also a couple of blind-turn-and-bomb-it-high moments. His hands seem pretty good though, and he has pace.

JKH has good lateral movement, but he isn't much of a sprinter. He's going to have to become really fit to be a good player, get to lots of contests, win the ball and use that sidestep to make space and deliver.

Second round pick. Howe could very well get us a first round pick from North. A three place upgrade is nothing. Three places and their second round pick is about right. Third round pick would be worthless to us.

Especially if we can get a decent pick for Howe as well. Late first or early second round would be pretty right I'd say.

Turns out it was The Age I saw it in.

All reports say that Goodwin is far more attacking than Roos. We know that Roos is a big fan of Ross Lyon and the defend, stoppage, don't take risks brand. He's been working very hard at making our players accountable and defensive. That isn't a bad thing but it has impacted our ability to score. I don't think (well, I really hope anyway) that the high bombs into the forward 50 are part of his planning as it's a tactic that hasn't worked since Roos was playing himself. Assuming the reports are correct, what we should start to see as Goodwin takes over is more run through the corridor, quicker play and better ball movement into the forward 50. If we get these things while maintaining defensive pressure when not in possession then we'll see a fairly dramatic improvement.

The AFL site says the hold-up on Melksham is that we're trying to find another second round pick to give Collingwood for Kennedy. Take it with a grain of salt as always, but it's plausible. Maybe we can get a second round pick for Toumpas from Port?

Why would you want to go to the Pies, who missed out on finals, when you could go to a team that has made the prelims the last two years?

I have a site for you to visit. https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com For your homework, I want you to look at your above post and tell me which logical fallacy you have employed.

Finally. It's about time someone came out and said this. These junior players keep coming out and "nominating" a club they want to play for as if they have some sort of special right to do so. They don't. They are not free agents. If they keep switching clubs they'll never be free agents. If they aren't happy with their contract they have an existing avenue to better it, that being the PSD where they can name their price. When they sign up to the AFL, they agree to take part in the draft with no control over where they will wind up playing. Now every kid who thinks he has market value is trotting out this line about "I nominate club (x) as my preferred destination" as though the AFL owes them the right to make that choice. Hell no! I despise Gubby Allen, but at least he's had the courage to put it out there. Speaking of which, we all know to take Gubby with a grain of salt. He'll try any manipulation to get the result he wants, so it's just as likely that he's encouraging other clubs to enter the race simply to get more out of the Pies. That being said, he has opened that door and the MFC would be utterly failing in their duty to the team and the supporters if they didn't put in a bid on this kid. Even if the only result is to drive up the price the Pies pay, that would help in the long run.

Quality young player. I'd love to be able to get him at Melbourne, but I don't know if we have anything to trade that we'd want to give up. Grimes won't be enough.

I kind of have a feeling they may trade Smedts to Carlton as part of the deal. I think that would be a hell of a laugh.

This really bugs me actually. Every half-decent player who has been up for grabs, we see the same clubs being mentioned and they aren't always top sides. The Saints have been very active and are getting several top draft picks in as trades. Carlton have been throwing offers at everyone with a lick of talent whether they have a chance of getting them or not. They are still trying to nab Treloar from Collingwood. Neither of these clubs have more to offer than us, but they are landing better talent because they are putting themselves out there and making offers. We seem to be sitting quietly in the corner hoping someone will come over and ask us to dance. After all the big talk the club once more looks like failing to follow through.

I actually think it's a pretty decent deal for both clubs. I'd like it more if Adelaide had held out for two first round picks (ie this year and next year), but this is good. The real bonus is that they now have real problems trying to trade for Henderson and Smith. They'll probably have to give up players to get it all done. I actually agree that Geelong are shafting themselves. To get Henderson and Smith across the line they may well have to use up next year's top pick as well as give up more young players. This is quite similar to what Brisbane did a few years ago and we can hope for similar results. Of the players coming in I really only rate Dangerfield as seriously top line. Is he enough to make up for the retirements they'll have in the next few years? So far Howe hasn't expressed a preference for any one club, so we should feel free to auction him off to the highest bidder. Let's see if we can get a first round pick for him.

I'm really not sure what to make of this deal. He's certainly a tough kid. I doubt he can be called soft although I haven't made a habit of watching Essendon games. It's just that his name isn't one that you think of when you go looking for quality players in the league. We could find that he turns into a hard running midfield workhorse who can kick goals and win his own ball, in which case we'll look back and declare this a genius move. On the other hand he could wind up being an easily distracted thug who throws his weight around on the field but plays the man instead of the ball and costs us games with his low possession count and stupid free kicks. I think I'll stay on the fence and wait to see how it turns out.

For short time the English Soccer team tried to play Gerrard, Lampard and Beckham on the park at the same time. It was absolute chaos, because they were all dominant leaders who would try to win the game off their own boot. Any one of them was great to have, but more than one and they just got in each other's way. Nobody needs a team full of leaders. All any team needs is a good leadership group who will lead the team no matter what. Further, how many times in the past few years have we been told that a new recruit has great leadership? How often have those players turned out to be a great pickup? Dawes? Grimes? Trengove (Although there are mitigating circumstances here)? JKH? All captains, all leaders, none of them in our best 22. How many players who were drafted on the strength of their leadership are actually leading the club? Nate Jones had to learn how to lead, but he leads by example on the field. Vince does the same. Cross was like that as well. Viney is heading in the same direction. As I said before, leadership is vastly overrated. Who would you prefer to take? A player who is a solid footballer with great leadership or a player who is a great footballer with no leadership at all? What is it we should be looking for in a draftee? Good footballer, good skills, competitive, fast, good size. That is your top five traits. Leadership is not in there. It's an optional extra. It's something that is nice to have, but not at the expense of the traits that actually make for good players. If you can get it on top of the more useful traits, then by all means go for it, but don't go out looking for good leaders. It is quite literally the last thing you need to look for in a draftee.

Leadership is a vastly overrated quality in a footballer. How many captains can you fit on the field? Yes you need few really good leaders, preferably capable of playing the game to a high standard as well, but you don't need 22 of them on the ground. What you need is great footballers who will follow where the leaders lead.

After seeing his combine results I'm more inclined to think he's a good get. Late round 1 or early round 2 if we could manage to pick him up at that range would be awesome. He could be gone by then though.

Suckling has signed with the doggies already.

There's an interesting article on who to look out for at the draft combine on the AFL website. Some interesting information to be taken away. First thing I've noted is that the 20m sprint has virtually no relevance in determining if someone can play. Of the top performers only Danyle Pearce and Jack Watts have done anything. Actually, if you look at the physical testing, about the only one that seems to be indicative of good potential players is Agility. If you look at the top performers in the others, a lot of them have never done anything noteworthy. Still, they note a bunch of players who appear to test well and are probably worth keeping an eye on to see if they can actually play.

I just hope Adelaide hold their nerve and force Geelong to blow their top picks on Dangermouse. That will have a serious impact on their ability to do a deal on Henderson, Smith and Selwood. It's particularly important now that the AFL has revealed what it will take to get a first round pick for him in FA compo. I'm pretty sure the contract on offer isn't enough to qualify.

Latest trade news has several clubs sniffing around Schoenmakers. Why the hell aren't we one of them?